Category Archives: News

‘The Jewel in the Crown of Racing’. I’m sure that’s a description that you’ll have heard used to describe The Grand National over the years, and for good reason. This feast of top draw racing enthrals the betting public each and every year, with epic rivalries occurring and records made to be broken. Each time the race is held the history books are just waiting for a new and exciting chapter to be written. Who can forget the epic wins of Red Rum in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and isn’t it fascinating how this very year may well bring the first ‘three in a row’ Grand National winner in the long history of the event, courtesy of the one and only Tiger Roll trying to add to his 2018 and 2019 wins. He clearly firmly has his eyes on the Grand National prize and so let’s hope he has the opportunity to do so.

Tiger Rolls is currently 8-1 with many bookmakers to win the Grand National. I wouldn’t call those betting odds generous as such but at the same time, it’s not unbelievably short. It’s bound to be a popular bet with punters as many would love nothing more than to see this fairytale record breaking effort take place as they watched live on TV (or on the Aintree course if they’re lucky!).So from the bookmakers perspective anything other than a Tiger Roll victory is likely good for profits, or ‘free money’ as people often like to call it. Other popular Grand National prospects at time of posting include second Favourite ‘Any Second Now’ at 10-1, Burrows Saint at 12-1 and Definitely Red at odds of 14-1.

They are a quite closely bunched lot really, but the Grand National of course can surprise. Bookmakers fall over themselves to offer free bets during the National too, because it’s such an attractive big money event. You can click here to find your recommended free bet if you are looking for some examples. A large field, brutal hurdles and horses being pushed all the way by their riders, ensure that you never quite know what’s coming. With that thought in mind opting to bet on a long shot isn’t always the worst idea either. 100-1 shots have won the National in the past and so this isn’t pie in the sky stuff. What better feeling than to be one of the few punters cheering on a 100-1 outsider as it crosses the line in first place?

For millions the race will be a welcome distraction from the bad news on our screens right now, and tuning into the Grand National on April 2^nd will be an exciting and familiar moment in time. It sounds like the event may be held behind closed doors due restrictions on large crowds, but to be honest whether there are on course cheers or not, the show must go on and the Grand National is likely to be as captivating as it ever had been. It’s ‘the’ race to win for any horse, jockey or trainer and the outcome is now and always far from a formality even if your selection does appear to tick all of the right boxes. Just ask trainers like Nicky Henderson, he’s won everything there is to win in racing, but still a Grand National win eludes him! It’s the one they all want to win!

Those familiar with the racing season will of course know that we have a couple of mega months ahead of us. The betting public will have their wallets at the ready for the ever captivating four day Cheltenham Festival between the 10^th and 13^th of March – with 28 races to get their teeth into! Hot on the heels of that on Saturday 4^th April is the jewel in the crown of National Hunt racing, none other than the Aintree Grand National. This race, steeped in history, is the real ‘meat’ of the racing season and gets casual punters and professional gamblers alike weighing up value bets, and taking advantage of the numerous betting bonuses that are out there.

The Grand National really is a betting occasion where if you play your cards right you can tip things in your favour. The bookmakers are practically jumping over themselves to be the one that you place your bets with and as a punter it’s possible to exploit that as a shrewd betting opportunity. There are various odds booster type bets and free bet bonuses around as well as ‘No lose in x situation’ type bets. It certainly pays to check out the latest bookmakers Grand national betting offers for 2020. A good tactic is to narrow down what you plan to bet on, then check out the betting options that best align with your selections.

Often the first port of call with a field as big as the Grand National is whether to do a straight win bet or go for the each-way option. For some, the idea of picking a winner in a field of around 40 is like finding a needle in a haystack, and doing an each way selection instead can offer a bit more hope. It can also encourage those having a flutter to opt for bigger priced horses (especially since each way bets in the Grand National are 5 places). Admittedly they’re also 1/5 of the odds too though, and so there’s a case for going all out to find the winner if you’re confident of your choice.

Some make a beeline for favourites, as in theory at least they have more going for them than most, even in a race as unpredictable as the Grand National. All the more reason to take that approach this year you could argue, as the Gordon Elliot trained Tiger Roll tries to prove, for the first time in history, that lightning can strike three times by winning the Grand National three years in a row. Elliot will be elated if he achieves this record breaking feat. Even though he’s stated that his dream in life is to become Champion Trainer , if anything this would be more impressive. It certainly makes the race even more of a must see event than usual. Whatever approach you take, and whatever you end up betting on, the best of luck to you!

Well, can you believe it, it’s almost that time of year again. The most prestigious National Hunt meeting of the year is almost upon us. From Tuesday March 10^th to Friday 13^th March, both casual and serious punters alike will be tuning into the four day feast of jump racing that is the Cheltenham Festival. Over the coming weeks there will of course be 2020 Cheltenham tips and betting opportunities galore, with office sweepstakes and the like taking place and TV audiences well into the millions for the jewel in the crown that is the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Gold Cup is steeped in history, having first taken place on 12th March 1924 with prize money of just £685 (whereas in 2019 the first place purse was £351,688 and total purse £625,000). The likes of Best Mate and Kauto Star have in part cemented their place in the annuls of racing, due to their Gold Cup wins, which is testament to what the race means to people. It’s not the only race that stands out in a big way though. Other Group 1 races held during the Cheltenham Festival are the Champion Hurdle, the (almost) 2 mile Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle, all of which have prize money in the £300,000-£500,000 range. These races and others all draw in the cream of the racing crop, in terms of owners, trainers, jockeys and of course horses. They will no doubt, once again, be responsible for many captivating moments in this 28 race Festival of excellence.

So what’s the state of play for the big races at the Cheltenham Festival 2000 you may ask. Well, in terms of the Gold Cup there’s no firm favourite, which if anything adds to the excitement and unpredictability of the race. Al Boum Photo, Santini and Delta Work are all seen to have what it takes at about the 4-1 and 5-1 mark with bookmakers. Also in firm contention are the likes of Lostintranslation, Clans Des Obeaux and Kemboy all at around 6-1. There’s a good spread among tipsters; Greg Wood of The Guardian for instance highlights the Gordon Elliot trained Delta Work’s recent Irish Gold Cup win as reason to be positive about its Cheltenham Gold Cup chances .https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/feb/03/chacun-pour-soi-plenty-appeal-odds-cheltenham-festival-horse-racing-tips Of course there’s no guarantee that all of these selections will even race on the day, but it’s handy nevertheless to get a good indication of the current lay of the land.

Elsewhere there are a few selections that punters and bookies alike appear to think are a class above the field. For example,in the Stayers Hurdle, Paisley Park is currently 9/10 favourite (with Benie Des Dieux second favourite at 8-1), and much fancied Appreciate It is 9/4 to win the Champion Bumper. Tipsters will of course ramp up their predictions as the Festival approaches, and whether you gleam anything from their contributions or are dead set on your own approach is down to you, and all part of the fun. Whatever your approach, the very best of luck to your betting balance during this years Cheltenham Festival.